A bill that would allow legal mobile sportsbooks in Hawaii is nearing its final votes.
The Hawaii state Senate has announced members of a conference committee that will join colleagues from the House of Representatives to discuss a final bill that proponents hope can pass both chambers. The House is expected to name its members in the coming days.
Hawaii’s 2025 legislative session ends May 2.
Key Takeaways
- Hawaii’s sports betting bill is close to final approval, with a conference committee working to finalize a version before the May 2 legislative deadline.
- The bill includes a 10% tax on gross gaming revenue and a $250,000 licensing fee, with at least four mobile sportsbooks expected to operate.
- This marks a surprising shift for Hawaii, one of the few states with no legal gambling, amid opposition from Nevada casino interests.
The Senate and House passed different versions of the sports betting bill, requiring a conference committee of members from both chambers to reconcile the differences. An identical bill will be presented to both chambers, and assuming passage, will then go to Gov. Josh Green’s desk for approval.
Green has indicated he will sign the sports betting bill if it passes the legislature.
The Senate added a 10% tax rate on sportsbooks’ gross gaming revenue and a $250,000 licensing fee, which would both be among the lowest respective levies of the 31 states that have approved legal online wagering. Lawmakers and even the sportsbooks themselves have indicated support for increasing those levels, one of several key decisions that must be resolved by the committee.
Unexpected progress
The Hawaii sports betting bill’s progression is one of the more surprising gaming regulatory developments in the nearly eight years since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal wagering ban.
Hawaii and Utah are the only states without a casino, horse track, sportsbook or state lottery. Hawaiians have typically opposed legal gambling since before statehood, partially over how it would impact its culture as well as it’s tourism industry.
California could play a role in Hawaii's (potential) legal sports betting market: roughly 3 million Californians visit the Islands annually, which is twice the size of the state's residential population
— Ryan Butler (@ButlerBets) April 24, 2025
Gambling expansion efforts have historically been opposed by Nevada-based gambling companies that see hundreds of thousands of visits from the islands each year. Boyd Gaming, which operates multiple Las Vegas-area casinos that cater to Hawaiians, testified against the bill.
Despite the opposition to the bill, Boyd CEO Keith Smith said Thursday that the company would be involved in any legal Hawaii gaming offerings, implying that it would intend to launch its Boyd Sports mobile sportsbook in the state. The company also has a 5% ownership stake in FanDuel, the nation's largest legal sportsbook by market share.
Hawaii sports betting details
The current bill calls for a minimum of four mobile sportsbooks. FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Fanatics helped lobby for the bill and would be among the four likeliest operators to earn licensure.
Hawaii’s potential for a low tax rate and high resident per capita income could attract other major national brands including Caesars, bet365, BetRivers and ESPN BET. Like Boyd, Caesars and BetMGM have large Nevada sports betting customer databases due to their large portfolio of Las Vegas-area casino properties.
Legal Hawaii sports betting could also be a way for sportsbooks to attract customers ahead of a potential a California launch. Roughly three million Californians each year visit Hawaii, which has a population of around 1.4 million residents.
If passed, Hawaii would join Tennessee, Wyoming, Maine, and Vermont as the only states with statewide mobile sports wagering but no commercial in-person books.
